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Why Heaven Is Far Away
In this heavenly sequel to the critically acclaimed WHAT A TRULY COOL WORLD, a star-studded duo once again finds playful, big-hearted answers to life's most mysterious questions.
God, His wife Irene, His secretary Bruce, & the angel Shaniqua have a problem to solve. When God gives Snakes poison to protect themselves, He doesn't expect them to bite everything in sight. Now all at once people & animals are climbing up the ladders connecting heaven & earth, & creating chaos in God's kingdom! But with a little help from Shaniqua & Irene & their beautiful singing voices, God has everyone dancing down the ladders to earth. The snakes get other kinds of defenses (& a talking to), & the ladders get pulled up to prevent further ruckuses, which is why heaven is far away.
God, His wife Irene, His secretary Bruce, & the angel Shaniqua have a problem to solve. When God gives Snakes poison to protect themselves, He doesn't expect them to bite everything in sight. Now all at once people & animals are climbing up the ladders connecting heaven & earth, & creating chaos in God's kingdom! But with a little help from Shaniqua & Irene & their beautiful singing voices, God has everyone dancing down the ladders to earth. The snakes get other kinds of defenses (& a talking to), & the ladders get pulled up to prevent further ruckuses, which is why heaven is far away.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2002
About the author
Julius Lester
121 books184 followersJulius Lester was an American writer of books for children and adults. He was an academic who taught for 32 years (1971–2003) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He was also a photographer, as well as a musician who recorded two albums of folk music and original songs.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 7, 2008
Excellent illustrations and use of language. Very popular with second and fourth graders as a read aloud.
October 22, 2017
There is a wonderful playfulness in the writing of this book. God & Mrs. God, Bruce, Irene are all amazing characters and contribute to the world and heaven. For any kid struggling with the concept of heaven this is a wonderful tale that will wake up the imagination. I loved this book, so delightful.
December 18, 2017
3.5 stars. Fun and funny, reminds me of so many books I read growing up. I love a Black God and a Mrs. God, too. It was fun take on creation stories, I enjoyed it!
December 14, 2021
Just fantastic - a great origin story, with a wonderful cast of characters.
February 9, 2017
Theme: The theme of this book is sin, and how its uncontrollable infection separates people on Earth from God in Heaven.
Summary: God originally created Heaven and Earth in close distance of one another, connected by ladders. When snakes started abusing their use of poison gifted by God for protection, humans and creatures were harmed left and right. All of the people and animals tried climbing up to Heaven to escape the chaos on Earth, but God did not welcome them there; instead he saw need to bring peace to Earth and pull Heaven further away. The solution was one that only God and his angel knew about. It was a solution that would allow Heaven to reach down to Earth, and when people find it, they get to live happily ever after.
Personal Response: The first time I understood the concepts of sin and Heaven I was in 4th grade, when I went to a Christian summer camp. My counselor used a simplified story of Adam and Eve in the garden to explain sin and creation. Hearing this story sparked curiosity in me to ask more questions about Heaven and how I can get there. Without that story my faith would not be where it is today. This book is introducing kids to Christianity in the same way.
Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for children ages 5-8. While anyone can enjoy the classic story of Heaven and Earth, I think 5-8 years old is a crucial time when kids are constantly questioning anything and everything. Lester's use of imagery and relatable characters allows children to have a visual of the difference between Heaven and Earth, and a tangible answer to their questions. Parents may use this book to share their religious beliefs with their kids for the first time.
Summary: God originally created Heaven and Earth in close distance of one another, connected by ladders. When snakes started abusing their use of poison gifted by God for protection, humans and creatures were harmed left and right. All of the people and animals tried climbing up to Heaven to escape the chaos on Earth, but God did not welcome them there; instead he saw need to bring peace to Earth and pull Heaven further away. The solution was one that only God and his angel knew about. It was a solution that would allow Heaven to reach down to Earth, and when people find it, they get to live happily ever after.
Personal Response: The first time I understood the concepts of sin and Heaven I was in 4th grade, when I went to a Christian summer camp. My counselor used a simplified story of Adam and Eve in the garden to explain sin and creation. Hearing this story sparked curiosity in me to ask more questions about Heaven and how I can get there. Without that story my faith would not be where it is today. This book is introducing kids to Christianity in the same way.
Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book for children ages 5-8. While anyone can enjoy the classic story of Heaven and Earth, I think 5-8 years old is a crucial time when kids are constantly questioning anything and everything. Lester's use of imagery and relatable characters allows children to have a visual of the difference between Heaven and Earth, and a tangible answer to their questions. Parents may use this book to share their religious beliefs with their kids for the first time.
August 27, 2016
In this heavenly sequel to the critically acclaimed WHAT A TRULY COOL WORLD, a star-studded duo once again finds playful, big-hearted answers to life's most mysterious questions.
God, His wife Irene, His secretary Bruce, & the angel Shaniqua have a problem to solve. When God gives Snakes poison to protect themselves, He doesn't expect them to bite everything in sight. Now all at once people & animals are climbing up the ladders connecting heaven & earth, & creating chaos in God's kingdom! But with a little help from Shaniqua & Irene & their beautiful singing voices, God has everyone dancing down the ladders to earth. The snakes get other kinds of defenses (& a talking to), & the ladders get pulled up to prevent further ruckuses, which is why heaven is far away.
God, His wife Irene, His secretary Bruce, & the angel Shaniqua have a problem to solve. When God gives Snakes poison to protect themselves, He doesn't expect them to bite everything in sight. Now all at once people & animals are climbing up the ladders connecting heaven & earth, & creating chaos in God's kingdom! But with a little help from Shaniqua & Irene & their beautiful singing voices, God has everyone dancing down the ladders to earth. The snakes get other kinds of defenses (& a talking to), & the ladders get pulled up to prevent further ruckuses, which is why heaven is far away.
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November 25, 2014the whole plot of the story is how God is connect each and living creature in earth and how the life is.talks about how the snakes came because how people treated them and talks about how your life cycle is that when you find the ladder (basically the light) you climb and you wont life happily ever after.
June 11, 2015
First let me say that Julian Lester's style is more of a hip style that I had a more difficult time with. I also didn't think that it flowed. On that note, Julian Lester's style is not cookie cutter and different from 98% of the kids books that I have reviewed. I just couldn't get into the book enough to boost it to a 4.
October 25, 2013
I absolutely loved this book, and the illustrations are awesome. The story is a fun folktale about God's creation of snakes and the story of their poison. By the end, the question of why heaven is far away is answered. This is a great read for ages 6-8.
September 6, 2009
Interesting twist on 'God and heaven'. A african american tale about how things came to be.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews